Temple Suspends Fraternity Amid Assault Investigation

The Temple University chapter of Alpha Epsilon Pi is suspended as police investigate a series of alleged sexual assaults at fraternity social events.

(Published Friday, April 20, 2018)

Temple University has suspended a men's fraternity as police investigate three alleged sexual assaults and underage drinking during social events at the fraternity's house.

Temple police issued a bulletin Friday saying they had received "multiple credible reports" of various alleged crimes at Alpha Epsilon Pi events. The alleged acts reported included sexual misconduct, sexual assault, drug use and underage drinking.

Alpha Epsilon Pi has a house directly off Temple's campus at Broad and Norris streets in North Philadelphia.

Capt. Mark Burgman, head of the Philadelphia Police Department's Special Victims Unit, said three victims came forward this month reporting they were sexually assaulted. Two of the victims are 19-year-old Temple students, Burgman said.

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The first incident happened in February at the fraternity house. Burgman said that case was referred to the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office on Friday. No charges have been filed in the case.

In the second incident, which happened in March and is still under investigation, Burgman said a female student said she attended a party and was given several drinks. She blacked out and later awoke in bed with one of the fraternity members, he said.

A third victim came forward to Temple police in recent days. Burgman said he didn't have details about that incident, but expected detectives to speak with her soon.

In a statement posted to the chapter's Instagram page on April 1, the chapter said members are "appalled by these allegations" and vowed to cooperate with the investigation.

"Let us make this 100% clear: we have absolutely no knowledge of the actions alleged about our chapter. If we determine that one of our members is responsible — or even has knowledge of who internally or externally is responsible — we will deal with them to the full extent of our powers," the statement read in part.

The national fraternity said Friday that it stopped all activities at the chapter three weeks ago.

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"We are aware of the rumors and the nature of the investigation by Temple University Police and the local authorities and continue to cooperate fully with both," fraternity spokesman Jonathan Pierce said in a statement.

"The University has asked us not to conduct our own investigation and, to date, we have received no other official notice from the University. We are, obviously, very concerned about these allegations as they have no place in Alpha Epsilon Pi."

Temple police said they're assigning additional patrols to the area around the fraternity house. A Temple University spokesman declined comment on the investigation.

The Alpha Pi chapter of the fraternity was chartered at Temple in 1956, according to the fraternity's website. The fraternity's mission is to "develop the future leaders of the world’s Jewish communities."

Alpha Epsilon Pi's suspension at Temple comes on the heels of a high-profile suspension of a different fraternity at Syracuse University. The Theta Tau fraternity was sidelined after a video surfaced from an alleged chapter event that featured racist, anti-Semitic and homophobic statements and actions.